I am a degenerate.
For days, I never left my room. My dad had to climb a ladder just to peer through my upstairs window, only to find his number-one son in the world... watching anime.
He'd often catch me glued to a female streamer, trying to get her attention, or worse, watching adult websites to remind myself that I'll never continue our bloodline.
My mom's the same. She leaves food by my door and sits there for hours, talking to me. But I'm usually playing games, completely zoned out. The conversation always ends with her saying, "I love you, my baby," and after a brief pause, she walks away.
My sister is the most disappointed. Whenever she gets the chance, all I hear are complaints about every truth she knows about me.
My name is Edward Mcvile. I'm twenty-two. I graduated with the highest marks in my high school and had a ticket to the best university in the country... if not for my illness.
I contracted an unknown virus, one that doctors couldn't cure because it adapted to every medicine.
They called it the X-00 Virus. It resisted every form of treatment. Since it wasn't contagious, I was the world's only "subject zero."
My name became known across the globe. People prayed for me and offered to pay for my treatment. But soon, the attention soured.
They began filming me in public, feigning compassion for entertainment. Some even tried to turn me into a laughingstock, highlighting the life I could never have.
I finally snapped. I locked myself in my bedroom and simply let my body rot. Each day, I grew weaker, to the point where I could barely lift myself out of bed.
...
It was May 31st, 6 a.m. The game the whole world waited twelve years for was finally here. I watched the download crawl to 98%.
But my heart gave out. The virus was weakening my body too quickly. The controller slipped from my hand, and my head fell onto my pillow. My blanket was the last thing to cover me.
That was the life I lived. It wasn't a good one, but it was mine.